Montien Boonma – Baffaloes from the Field to the Town October 5, 2009

Buffaloes from the Field to the Town Montien Boonma 1988

unhusked rice, sacks, straw, horn, stools

Describe the subject matter of the installation, with reference to the symbolism of the materials used

The installation depicts two rice sacks rested on separate stools.  One of the rice sacks has a horn attached to one corner, presumably, the horn of a buffalo, while the other rice sack has long swirl structure made up of straw, attached to the top left hand corner of the rice sack.  I believe that the artwork tries to convey the hard work and labour that goes into producing food for the people of the cities.  The sacks of rice symbolize the farm produce, the fruits of labour of the people that have to toil day and night.  The horns I believe represent the farm animals that are being put to work, particularly the buffaloes.  This is because buffaloes are closely related to the harvesting of rice.  The straw on the other hand, is another material commonly found in a farm, which I feel again highlights the essence of farm life.  The stools however, juxtaposes with the other materials.  It looks like a common stool, probably seen almost everywhere, yet it is almost luxury goods in the sense that it symbolizes rest, which contrasts with the other materials that are linked to hard work and labour. 

I feel that the artwork is essentially a social comment on the vastly different lifestyles of the rural and the city people.  The materials such as rice sacks, unhusk rice, straw and horn all embody the whole idea of hand work and labour.  They are the bare essence of a farm, the most commonly found materials.  By placing the rice sacks on the chair it is almost ironic, in the sense that a chair is of civilized nature, it allows one to rest and relax, which contrast with the hard work on a farm.  This highlights the fact that the rural people, such as farmers are actually the backbone of our society.  Their hard work ensures our source of nutrition and nourishment is indispensable.  The fact that the straw is tied in a spiral shape shows that it’s a never ending cycle.

Dorothea Lange – Migrant Mother October 5, 2009

Migrant Mother, Nipomo Valley Dorothea Lange 1935

Gelatin Silver Paint

How effectively has the artist used proportion and emphasis in this photograph?

The photographer used proportion and emphasis rather effectively in this photograph. The photo is rather balanced in terms of composition, largely attributed to the presence of the two children by each side of the mother. Strong geometrical shapes and lines permeate the picture, adding a certain dimension and depth. The wooden stick on the right side of the picture helps to balance out the picture. The child on the woman’s lap evens out the distribution of “weight” in the picture, otherwise the right side may seem more cramped than the left. Also, as the women almost one third of the photograph, much emphasis and attention is on the woman. It invites the viewer to notice certain details, such as the wrinkles on her face, and the frayed edges of her clothes, highlight the vulnerability and the suffering of these people in a very subtle way. The woman leaning forward further highlights that she is the main subject matter, as implied in the title of the work “Migrant Mother”.

The photographer also uses parallel lines to emphasis on certain areas. The body posture of the mother, with her elbow propped up, forming a parallel line with the stick on the right, helps to bring out the foreground. Also, as the women’s face is the only that faces the audience it draw’s the viewer’s attention to her face. The dimmed and darker background only adds on to the effect of drawing the foreground forward.

 By using a black border to frame the photograph, the stark contrast of the in intense black next to the soft brown grey colour of the photograph makes the work stand out even more.

Comparing Joseph Beuy and Montien Boonma October 4, 2009

Discuss the similarities and differences between the works of Joseph Beuy and Montien Boonma. Cite examples for your answer.

Both artists were strongly influenced by religion and faith. In the case of Montien Boonma, it was Buddhism. In Montien Boonma’s Lotus Seed (1992), the installation consists of terracotta bells installed in a curved wall-like formation, above it hangs glided petals of the lotus flower. The lotus flower is an important symbol in Buddhism, representing purity. The lotus flower is also commonly associated with the Buddha’s birthplace, as well as the concept of “enlightenment”. It is considered a holy flower in Buddhism, partially due to its medicinal properties.    

Similarly, the works of Joseph Beuy highlights his interest in the spiritual and psychological. This can be seen in his choice of materials. He uses organic materials such as fat to signify chaos and the potential for spiritual transcendence. Fat is used in his works such as Fat Chair (1964), and Fat Corners (1960). Buey constantly emphasizes on the necessity of “inner listening”.  He even invented a material “Braunkreuz” that he considers to be a generic medium for sculptural expression. As a term, it is loaded with references to Christianity, and he uses it in a shamanistic, magical way, as an insulator of spiritual forms. Beuy also played with the negative and psychological character of felt. For example, in his piece Inflitration-homogen for grand piano (1966), a piano was wrapped with a felt” skin”, which trapped the sound inside, alluding to powerlessness, the vulnerability of men and an inability to communicate. In contrast, Beuy evokes images of protection, insulation, and spiritual warmth with his Felt Suit (1970). Through the use of symbols and materials of their artworks, one is able to sense the strong influence of religion and spiritual consciousness.

Book Review: Picasso and Cubism October 4, 2009

“Picasso and Cubism” is a book written by Kay Hyman, from the series “Dawn of Modern Art”.  It provides an in-depth introduction to Cubism and its main features.  This book gives interesting information about how the movement of Cubism formed as well as the main artist involved.  But as we can infer from the title, if focuses a lot on Picasso, his life and his works of cubism as well as how he influenced the start of cubism.  Another artist that is often mentioned in the book is George Braque.  He, together with Picasso ‘were the painters directly responsible for the birth of Cubism’ as the book states.  They drew inspiration from the post-impression artist specifically Cezanne and Seurat.  The book brings the reader through the different phases of Cubism and gives us an idea of how it evolved to become what it represents today.  All lot is mentioned about the lives of Picasso and Braque.  This partially helps us relate to the reason of Picasso painting in this manner and as he goes through the different stages of his life, his works also gradually change. The book also includes a lot of coloured pictures, helping the reader identify the features while the author explains them in detail.  The pictures are mostly done by Picasso at different points of his life, thus we are also able to observe the gradual change in style.

After reading the book, I feel that Cubism is painting a normal scene painted in multiple views thus making it look ‘cut up’ or scrambled.  In cubist artworks, objects are broken up, analyzed, and re-assembled in an abstracted form.  As the critic Vauxcelles once wrote, “Monsieur Braque despises form and reduces everything, landscapes and figures and houses, to geometric patterns, to cubes.”  The artist depicts the object or scene in multitude of viewpoints to represent the subject he is painting in greater context.  Often surfaces intersect at random angles presenting little coherent sense of depth.  The background and object planes interpenetrate one another to create the ambiguous shallow space.  Some of the leading artists in this movement include Pablo Picasso, Fernand Leger, George Braque and Juan Gris.  However, cubism was considered to be a joint invention of two men, Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque.  They had built on the foundation of Picasso’s early work which then developed to a Synthetic Cubism.  They were also greatly influenced by the post-impressionist’s works, in particular Cezanne and Seurat as mentioned above.

This book has inspired me to want to know more about the history of art.  Through this book, I actually found out that the formation of a certain movement of art is not easy.  It is a long and tedious process that is ever-changing.  Thus, I fee the more we should study the different movements of art to really understand the meaning of ‘art’.  It has also inspire me to really want to find my ‘own style’.  I realized that even though these artists were from the same art movement, they all have their own styles of painting.  It has also helped me to realize that art, like dance, is not only about technique, but also about one’s own character.  Now, although I am still unable to really identify my own style, this book really inspires me to work harder towards this goal.  This book tells the life story of Picasso and how he went through all that hardships before he became a renowned artist.  This encourages me to try my best to fulfill my dreams and not give up halfway due to failures or setbacks.  Overall, I felt that this book not only gives us information on Cubism, it in a way also inspires people to chase their dreams and aspirations and I feel that it is a book worth reading.

This book can be found under the reference section of the Singapore National Library.

Comparing Affandi and Van Gogh October 4, 2009

Self-portrait by Affandi 1975 [Figure 4(a)]

Oil on canvas

Self-portrait with Bandaged Ear by Vincent Van Gogh 1889 [Figure 4(b)]

Oil on canvas, 60 x 49 cm

Courtauld Institute Galleries

Discuss the use of brush stroke and colour in both paintings.

In painting 4(a), the artist uses thick swirling brushstrokes that give the painting a sense of direction and movement. Contour lines are employed to emphasize the natural curvature of the face of the subject matter. The brushstrokes are rather messy, forming a disarray of colours. The artist also uses intense daubs of colour that appear as sudden bursts of colour and emotion on the canvas.  Thus the brushstrokes are very expressive and seem to have a flow which creates movement in the painting.  Yet at the same time it incites a sense of chaos, the swirling brushstrokes also gives the painting an unfinished quality. The use of swirling brushstrokes also blurs the edges of the subject matter and cause the distinction between the foreground and background to collapse, and seamlessly merge as one layer. Bold and dark lines are used to create the outline of the object to further highlight and bring out the subject matter.

On the other hand, painting 4(b) has more organized brushstrokes. The brushstrokes are short and choppy, giving it a sense of rhythmic movement. The brushstrokes are also rather broad and flat, thus the painting does not seem to have much depth. Similar to the first painting, bold, dark lines are used to outline the contours of the man to give it emphasis by creating a distinct boundary. It also separates the foreground from the background, compensating to some depth in the painting. The short and choppy brushstrokes are rather neat as there is a very obvious common direction, guiding the viewer’s attention towards the main focal point.   

In the painting by Affandi, he uses very intense colours that seem to be applied directly from the tube, at the same time, using the nozzle to scratch, dot and create bold lines on the canvas, adding on to its texture. He uses primary colours such as red, yellow and green side by side. The clashing colours highlight certain areas of the face, giving it an added dimension. Complimentary colours are also used to enhance the contours of the face. Streaks of dark green are used to represent the shadows on the face instead of black.

Likewise, in the painting by Van Gogh, he uses very bright vibrant colours. Daubs of complimentary colours are placed side by side to create a certain type of optical illusion. Thus, when the eye merges the two colours next to each other, the colour would appear to be more intense then if mixed on a palette, allowing the painting to stand out.  Instead of using black to depict the shadows, Van Gogh uses complimentary colours or darker tone of the colour of the object. Streaks of green and brown are also used to highlight and contour the face. Darker tones are also used to emphasize his sunken cheeks portraying a haggard and tired look. The earthy dull colours could possibly reflect his mood at that point of time which comes across as rather gloomy and disheartened.